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Royal Surrey County Hospital

REPORT ON THE PUBLIC MEETING HELD ON 2ND OCTOBER 2006 TO DISCUSS THE POSSIBLE CLOSURE OF THE ROYAL SURREY COUNTY AND ST. PETERS HOSPITALS

I attended the above meeting last night and yes, the situation is a lot more serious than I think any of us realise.

The meeting was chaired by Sue Doughty (Liberal Democrat and previous MP for Guildford). Also on the platform were Professor Stephen Webb(Liberal Democrat spokesman for health), and Mick Moriarty of Unison.

No surprise that there was no-one from the Primary Care Trust in attendance, although they had issued a statement which was read at the beginning of the meeting. Apparently the Primary Care Trust is constantly changing and is now known as the NHS South Coast - by all accounts it isn't even certain who the Chief Executive is, although it may be someone called Douglas Robertson.

I set out below what I hope were the main points arising from the meeting.

According to the statement issued by the PCT, 3 out of 5 "major acute sites" in the region are under threat of closure/facing a change of role (which is pretty much just another way of saying they'll be closed or at the very least down-graded. In our area this means the Royal Surrey and St. Peters.

The PCT will also be taking into account care outside of the hospitals, i.e. how much they can pass the buck!

There will be a public consultation in November. The main points under consideration will be:

1. Closure of St. Peters, Chertsey.
2. Closure of the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
3. A merger of services.

It is not just the A and E Department that is under threat. All departments are under threat either directly or indirectly, Maternity, children, orthopaedic etc.

Even the Cancer Centre at the Royal Surrey is under threat; The nearest alternatives for treatment would be London, Brighton, Portsmouth or Southampton. Apparently some 1.2 million cancer patients are treated in Guildford; in some forms of cancer this rises to 2 million.

NHS Together has brought together various bodies and unions, and includes the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, etc etc, to fight the ongoing NHS cuts.
The Royal Surrey broke even last year.

. The Royal Surrey covers a very large area and includes the University of Surrey, which works closely with the hospital and is an invaluable source of scientific research, not to mention the training of nurses.

Chris Jagger who has worked as a doctor in the A and E Department at the Royal Surrey for 34 years highlighted the Royal Surrey's proximity to the A3, the M25, Spectrum, the university, and in the event of a major terrorist attack, the fact that the Royal Surrey would be one of the main hospitals involved in treating victims.

Chris Marks, a consultant at the Royal Surrey, pointed out that the crucial time for getting a patient to hospital for treatment is 20 minutes. If the Royal Surrey closes or loses its A and E Department, this would increase to 40 minutes, and that's if there are no traffic problems!

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

There will be a rally in Guildford High Street at noon on Saturday 21 October, be there to show your support. 5,000 people in Epsom turned out last Saturday to fight for Epsom Hospital. If they can do it, so can we.

The Surrey Advertiser will be providing weekly updates, keep up to date with what's going on.

Sign every petition that comes your way.

Check your local Liberal Democrat / Labour / Conservative website to see what you can do to help/check on the latest developments.

This needs to be a united effort if it is going to succeed. Various action/support groups have been/are being set up. Again, visit their websites and/or keep an eye on local press, tune in to your local radio station The Eagle and Southern Counties Radio will be advertising meetings etc.

To find out more visit the Save The Royal Surrey website and the Royal Surrey Action Group website. The first website is the consultants' fighting arm. The powers that be may be more inclined to listen to consultants etc. The second website has been set up by Ann Milton (MP for Guildford) and Jeremy Hunt (MP for South-West Surrey). They are co-ordinating the rally in Guildford on 21st October.

Write to your MP and anyone else you can think of doctors, the PCT, etc.

Spread the word, tell your friends, neighbours, relatives. There needs to be a massive input if we are to stand any chance of saving our hospitals.

Don't just sit back and assume that everything will work out ok - stand up and be counted. It's a very lucky person who goes through life without needing to visit their local hospital for treatment.

Although I have referred mainly to the Royal Surrey, many of the above points are also relevant to St. Peters in Chertsey.

Finally, letters, emails, rallies and marches do work. St. Richards in Chichester was facing closure, their campaign worked.

Val Hall

Schlaeppi Research
Hill Cottage
Chinthurst Lane
Bramley, Guildford
GU5 0DR
Tel: 01483 892244
Fax: 01483 894112